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I attended a CTIA conference in 2007 (anyone else remember when the Cellular Technology Information Association were the digital content kings?), where a keynote speaker said, “2007 will go down in history as the year digital-first content truly arrived.”

That was also the first conference where I saw a full-length movie played on a consumer-grade phone.

Eighteen years later, everyone is saying for the first time for the 18th time: 2024 was the year digital-first content arrived.

YouTube is now beating Netflix in television viewers, the most significant events of the year are influencer-related, and, as my Fixated CEO and business partner Zach Katz always says, “Digital creators used to want to get a Hollywood deal, now Hollywood stars want to be us.”

Nothing shows that more clearly than Netflix’s recent bi-annual viewership report which, if you add up all seasons of CoComelon into one ‘show’, dominates the charts.

Not to mention other (mostly Moonbug) YouTube entertainment: Blippi, Little Angel, Bebefinn, and Cobra Kai (yes, that was on YouTube Red first).

So what does this mean for the future of IP development for premium streamers trying to take eyeballs from YouTube?

Also in this edition:

• MrBeast Claims $5b Valuation

• Instagram Reels May Go Solo

• Dick’s Sports Goods Plays Ball With Creators

• Meta’s $50m Horizon Creator Fund

• Job ops from RUTI, Prize Possessions, and HOPESCOPE

• …and a dank creator economy meme by yours truly!

Let’s get into it.

NEWS:

YouTube Rules the Netflix Charts

YouTube is now more popular than Netflix by watch time on OTT devices.

And even Netflix knows the power of creators, with the Tyson vs. Paul fight nearing the top of their new 2H 2024 report.

But if you add up all YouTube-first programming, it becomes undeniable: creators are finding success on premium platforms.

So where does Netflix go if their most popular content is free on their closest competitor?

My hot take: Netflix can win in three ways: curation, upleveling, and tentpoling.

The Tyson vs. Paul fight did huge numbers for Netflix, but it was an extremely expensive tentpole event.

Rumor has it, Mike Tyson was paid $20m and Jake Paul was paid $40m, which is pretty massive considering they spent most of the match circling each other while throwing air punches.

Even MrBeast isn’t paying that much for a one-off event. It needs to ladder up to revenue only an SVOD can prove out.

Cocomelon is doing huge numbers on Netflix, but I don’t see that cannibalizing their huge YouTube audience, and they’re given the funds and distribution to uplevel their content with new shows like ‘CoComelon Lane’ and an upcoming live action offering.

And, of course, Netflix lives and dies by curation. Whatever surfaces above the fold when someone signs in is likely to get a lot of views, so they need to ensure the content is forced in their top banners and their algorithm is exceptionally strong.

In short (too late), YouTubers can and will thrive on Netflix as Netflix thrives with creators.

MrBeast…More Like MrBillions, amirite?

It has been leaked (purposefully?) that MrBeast is raising money for his company at a $5 billion post-money valuation.

And this is coming off of MrBeast’s admission that he lost money on his $100 million record-breaking Amazon series and has less than $1m in his bank account.

In other words: every dollar he makes goes back into his business.

So is this valuation wishful thinking or is there some logic to this raise?

My hot take: Putting on my Jim Cramer hat to say, “Buy! Buy! Buy!”

It seems MrBeast is getting to the point where he’s building structures that do not require Jimmy, which is key to any successful generational creator company.

Jimmy can drive an incredible amount of sales, but if history has taught us anything, we shouldn’t count on Jimmy being the biggest star in the world forever.

And Feastables is building a brand that doesn’t necessarily need Jimmy.

Beast Games may be hosted by the next most prominent social media star by season 10.

His crew is building an enviable audience who is starting to show up as leaders in his content.

In other words, the ecosystem is forming, and this can act as a funnel to control the most relevant online content and products for kids for generations to come.

Instagram Reels Goes Indie

Is Reels going to go head-to-head with TikTok on a standalone app?

They’ve already announced 'Edits’ as a competitor to CapCut.

In yet another leak from the Meta crew, it sounds like Adam Mosseri is considering it through a workstream called ‘Project Ray’.

So what do you think? Good idea or bad idea?

My hot take: BAD IDEA! STOP IT!

The whole Meta ecosystem is already a mess.

My Instagram, Threads, and Facebook are linked and content is spread out everywhere, even when I don’t mean to.

There are Stories and Reels and monetization nobody knows how to use and a Business Manager that may as well be in another language and dating and games and Messenger and WhatsApp and it’s all confusing and weird.

Instagram feels like the last bastion of fun and simplicity.

You jump into the app. You look at the beautiful grid posts. You tap on stories. You find some Reels in your feed. You get to your bus stop and close your phone.

If you have to get more app downloads by pushing people from the feed to the App Store, it’s going to be a bad experience.

And if you don’t, nobody will want to download it, as viewing Reels within the app is already easy.

Let’s get serious

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Why? Our entire platform exists to help serious content creators scale faster. We’re built for those who are ready to take their content and build it into a behemoth. 

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It’s all to put your hard work in front of more people. So if you’re ready to build, ready to grow, and ready to make the world take notice, beehiiv is ready for you.

Get started for 20% off with code BUILD.

FAME & FORTUNE:

I didn’t know I’d be writing about Dick’s Sporting Goods in this newsletter, but here we are! Dick’s Varsity Team is an application-only creator program where creators can get free products, attend events, and earn commissions. The applications recently closed, but one to keep your eye on!

Too nerdy for Dick’s? Meta’s new Horizon Creators Program wants to get some Fortnite UEFN and Roblox magic through a $50m creator fund. So strap on that Oculus and check in to see if Horizon avatars have legs yet!

July released its 2024 Creator Agency Report and it’s full of gems! Influencer marketing spend will hit $41 billion by 2030, 26% of brands are dedicating at least 40% of their marketing to creators, and 47% of creator management companies made all of their money from less than 25 brands. Sounds like opportunity to me!

LTK, the popular shopping app, is now a more TikTok-style experience. Instead of focusing on shops, the app kicks you directly into a shortform video feed with shoppable links. Feels like this whole ‘social commerce’ thing is heating up!

INDUSTRY HIRING:

RUTI needs an Influencer & Social Media Manager if you’re going for that ‘headed to an art exhibit’ aesthetic.

Prize Possessions is looking for a YouTube Channel Director. Hot video idea: ‘Handing Out Trophies for Returning Your Shopping Cart’.

HOPESCOPE wants a YouTube Producer. Love of neon pink is a must.

MEME ZONE:

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, give it a share and if you get someone to sign up, I’ll send you my ‘10 Rep-Friendly Ways to Monetize Today!’ deck!

Until next time, protect yo rep.